Hasina Condemns Interim Rule as Unrest Surges, Presses for Inclusive Bangladesh Vote

Overview

• Speaking in a new interview, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina called the 2024 upheaval a radical-led insurrection and said she left to prevent further bloodshed.
• Hasina alleged the Muhammad Yunus–led interim administration lacks a mandate, dissolved an inquiry into 2024 violence, freed convicted militants, banned the Awami League, and empowered extremists.
• Renewed street clashes followed the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, with local reports also citing the deaths of two Hindu men as violence spread to multiple cities.
• National elections are scheduled for February 2026, and the Awami League is boycotting the contest, while the BNP’s prospects have risen after Tarique Rahman’s December 25 return to Dhaka.
• Hasina criticized what she describes as a tilt toward Pakistan and said she would consider returning only after constitutional governance is restored, political prisoners are freed, and genuinely free elections are held.